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Microplastics and nanoplastics size distribution in farmed mussel tissues
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Researchers analyzed farmed mussels from Italy and detected microplastics and nanoplastics in every single sample, with nanoplastics (particles smaller than 1 micrometer) present in concerning quantities. They estimated that Europeans eating seafood regularly could ingest more than 2 milligrams of nanoplastics per year — establishing an important baseline for tracking this form of pollution in our food supply.
Abstract Microplastics and nanoplastics are hazardous to ecosystems, wildlife, and through seafood, also for human health. Due to biological, chemical, and physical characteristics, nanoplastics can slip through cell membranes, being even more toxicologically important than microplastics. Thermal Desorption - Proton Transfer Reaction - Mass Spectrometry was used to analyze mussels from the Apulian region, Italy. All the analyzed organisms have plastics (values ranging from 10 to 187 ng of microplastics and nanoplastics per dry weight mg). The highest mass of plastics was detected in the size groups >2.2 µm (218 ng per dry weight mg) and 20–200 nm (187 ng per dry weight mg). Upscaling data we estimated that people in Europe could ingest more than 2 mg of nanoplastics per year through seafood consumption. The detected presence of nanoplastics in farmed mussels here presented contributes to establishing a baseline for monitoring these pollutants.
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Micro and Nanoplastics size distribution in mussel tissues: first evidence, identification, and quantification in the nanogram range
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Italian researchers used a highly sensitive mass spectrometry technique to detect and quantify both microplastics and nanoplastics in farmed mussels, finding plastic particles in every sample tested. Nanoplastics in the 20–200 nm range were present in substantial quantities, and the authors estimate that European seafood consumers could ingest over 2 milligrams of nanoplastics per year through mussel consumption alone. This is one of the first studies to directly quantify nanoplastics in a commonly eaten seafood, raising significant concerns about dietary exposure.
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Researchers analyzed wild mussels from Portugal's Atlantic coast and found microplastics in all samples, with an average of about 1.6 particles per gram of mussel tissue. Based on typical Portuguese seafood consumption patterns, the estimated annual human intake of microplastics from mussels alone was calculated, highlighting that regular shellfish consumers face meaningful microplastic exposure through their diet.
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Researchers measured microplastic contamination in commercially consumed mollusks along the Catalan coast of the Mediterranean Sea, finding microplastics in all species tested. Large oysters and mussels had the highest concentrations at around 19 to 23 particles per individual. Based on typical consumption patterns, the study estimated that the local adult population ingests an average of over 8,000 microplastic particles per year through mollusk consumption alone.
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Researchers compared microplastic contamination in wild and commercially farmed mussels from the Sea of Marmara in Turkey. They found microplastics in all mussel samples, with wild mussels containing somewhat different types and amounts compared to aquacultured ones, and fibers being the dominant form in both. The study estimates that regular consumption of these mussels represents a measurable pathway for human exposure to microplastics through seafood.
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